Gerris Corp , the latest iteration of my career, is a hybrid of personal billable hours and a collaboration with partners, professionals, and a global, decentralized staff. At least, right now, it’s a one man band. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. Bringing SDL SM2, Inkybee, and Google Search into GroupHigh. Got it? Like this post?

This saying always amuses me. Partly because it’s true, partly because it’s funny, but also because it’s often misunderstood. It’s funny because it sounds like marketers are too stupid to be in charge of marketing. And, as a marketer, I love laughing at myself and those who do what I do. One cannot exist without the other. focusing on continually creating new customers.

I was on a panel recently with four super-smart, deeply experienced marketers. moderated the event and asked them this question: What one key skill do marketers need to acquire to succeed over the next five years? “Integrating channels,” replied a leader from a Fortune 500 company. “Think in terms of omni-channel.” “Content creation,” said a university professor.

As I've written about in the past, most recently just last week - the role of a CMO is changing from one of chief marketing officer to one of chief engagement officer. And of course in today's world, the best and most direct way to engage with someone is via the use of social media, which according to Carter Hostelley, CEO of LeadTail is the #1 thing CMOs have in common.

Yesterday I released the mid-year edition of the VEST Report on B2B marketing automation vendors, thereby meeting my self-imposed deadline of July 31. Look here for more information or to make a purchase. Updating the report gives a nice overview of recent industry developments. Here are some observations: - market positions are pretty stable. The only new vendor to make a splash recently has been SharpSpring , which went from zero to 500 agency clients in the past year. This puts them among the top 3 leaders in the small business sector. products are pretty stable, too.
MORE >>

Digital marketing activities and budgets are growing, because they have an impact: more than half of all employed adults say that “digital media has changed the way they work.” ” The ability to analyze the vast amounts of data generated by digital marketing activities, and translate that analysis into digital marketing strategies and tactics, will be key skills for marketers in the next decade. Image credit: AdWeek. But that figure is projected to jump to 75% within the next five years. Marketers in the U.S. 14 Digital Marketing Stats and Facts. 1. Marissa’s Picks ). 3.
MORE >>

In the movie that inspired the name of this podcast—Moneyball—Billy Dean of the Oakland Athletics did not just observe the existing metrics of the day, such as RBI and Home Runs. Instead, he determined the metric that really mattered to the team—times on base—and used this as the A’s key metric. Finding the unique metric that matters for your organization, rallying the team around consistent observance of that metric and then using automation to scale up into a revenue generating machine are the three keys to successfully using analytics for marketing. Marketing Technology Podcasts
MORE >>

By Kerry Gorgone, {grow} Contributing Columnist. Turns out, managing “Like a Boss” sometimes makes you a boss, even if the people you’re managing are supposed to be freelance employees or independent contractors. The U.S. Labor Department recently issued a 15-page “interpretation” of existing employment law that declared businesses should, in many instances, designate workers as employees rather than independent contractors. But what if your company wants to hire freelance employees? Or what if you’re one of the people who prefers to freelance on a contract basis? to 5:00 p.m.
MORE >>

Marketing automation and lead nurturing seem to go hand-in-hand. In fact, according to the 2014 B2B Enterprise Demand Generation Study conducted by ANNUITAS, 75% of respondents stated they are using lead nurturing. Yet despite the widespread use of lead nurturing as part of a demand generation strategy, only 2.8% of respondents stated they are having success with their demand generation programs. Where is the disconnect? Marketing Automation Does Not Equal Lead Nurturing. Multiple studies show that those who have purchased marketing automation do so because of the lead nurturing feature.
MORE >>

B2B Marketing Zone can personalize the content based on your interests,
your LinkedIn profile, what you share on Twitter and LinkedIn, and what content people
similar to you are sharing. More on Content Personalization

Sign-in using your social networks so we can begin to personalize your experience.

We need your email and password to allow you to log into your personalization features.